The blowers ranch morton creek restoration project will lead to the reconstruction of 2,500 feet of the morton creek stream channel and the establishment of 19 acres of native riparian forest

The Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Region 1 awarded a $908,289 Project Grant under the National Fish Habitat Partnership (CFDA 15.686) program to the Curry County Soil And Water Conservation District, doing business as South Coast Watershed Council, to restore 2,500 feet of the Morton Creek stream channel and establish 19 acres of native riparian forest. Key project activities include reconstructing the stream channel, creating an off-channel aquatic habitat, installing log structures to improve winter rearing habitat for salmon and other native species, and planting a riparian corridor with 21,000 seedlings. The project aims to restore floodplain connectivity and improve water quality in Morton Creek, which supports wild populations of coho salmon, steelhead, coastal cutthroat trout, and Pacific lamprey. The award period is from July 1, 2023 to April 30, 2027.

Morton creek is an 1,850 acre subwatershed of new river that is comprised of coastal plain, stream valley, andhillslope topography. Wild populations of coho salmon, steelhead, coastal cutthroat trout, and pacificlamprey spawn and rear in morton creek. Within the project site, segments of morton creek werechannelized in the mid-20TH century to increase livestock pasture, and other changes within, upstream, and downstream of the project reach led to severe downcutting and channel incision. As a result, thepresent-day stream channel is disconnected from the historic floodplain instream habitat is simplifiedand the channel morphology is unstable and water quality is degraded due to sedimentation and solarexposure.through this project, approximately 1,100 feet of morton creek will be reconstructed within its currentalignment, and 1,400 feet of the existing, incised channel will be decommissioned and replace withnewly constructed stream channel. Both segments of morton creek will be reconstructed as sinuousstream channel within 5.4 acres of constructed inset floodplain topography to restore complex streamhabitat and floodplain connectivity. Approximately 800 linear feet of off-channel aquatic habitat, and 20-30 instream log structures, will be built to increase winter rearing habitat for coho salmon and othernative aquac species. Two bridges will be constructed over the new morton creek channel to maintainaccess for ranch vehicles. Approximately 19 acres of riparian corridor will be planted with 21,000SEEDLINGS, and those plantings will be maintained UNL free-to-grow to establish native forest alongmorton creek. An off-stream livestock water system will be constructed, and the project site will befenced, to exclude livestock from the stream corridor.